Early Spring

Tonight I took a long walk through neighborhoods near my hotel. Early spring bursting all around me. Trees raining pollen. Daffodils in full bloom. The deep, damp smell of new growth: grass, hydrangea, pear trees. I walked the wide sidewalks next to homes that looked so much like my hometown, I found myself lost in childhood thoughts, a lifetime of early springs. The ceaseless hope for longer days and time outside. The near-frenetic excitement that caused me to me shed my coat weeks too soon. The subtle, unstoppable change in the evening sky as I ran to the sound of my Father’s whistle calling me home.